Well worn

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Roy Christou sandpapers a design on a pair of his company's jeans.Photo: Eddie Jim

Denim jeans have become a high-fashion item - with the
price tags to match, writes Rachel Wells.

Humble, denim jeans were once nothing special. But they have
evolved into such a high-fashion item that some in Melbourne cost
$500, $600, even $750. Who in their right mind would pay that much
for a pair of jeans?

"A lot of our customers are willing to pay that sort of money
for the perfect pair of jeans," says Melinda Middleton, a manager
at Chapel Street's Dakota 501 store.

This is the shop currently selling Melbourne's most expensive
jeans - handpainted men's jeans by Japanese label Evisu, for
$750.

Middleton, like other industry insiders, say the extremely high
price tags are because the jeans are very labour-intensive. Some
take weeks or even months of hand work, including dyeing,
whiskering (using dye to make "creases") and pressing, to achieve
their worn or vintage looks.

A lot of expensive jeans now are "treated" or "worked" -
industry terms for making the jeans look old and worn. Techniques
used are sandpapering, sandblasting, and washing with rocks and
stones. Ironically, the more worn they are the more expensive they
can be.

But some in the fashion industry say these high prices -
anything over $400 - are too much.

But he says some international brands such as Evisu, Earl -
which come with a $600 price tag and Rogan, worn by Madonna and
worth up to $550, are a "bit over-priced".

"They do a lot of work, like embroidery and handpainting, but
not that much work. I guess they've established a price point that
people are prepared to pay. And if they can get it, then why
not?"

Customers pay for the brand, the quality and also the labour
that goes into modern styles of jeans.

"With Evisu," says Melinda Middleton, "the gulls (the label's
logo) are handpainted, and a lot of craftsmanship goes into the
jeans," she says. "You can't get that quality with a big run off
the mill."

Cheuk Chiang, who works in advertising, recently paid $550 for a
pair of Evisu jeans.

"I didn't really think twice about paying that much, because
this is a well-known label with a well-known symbol on the back
pocket," he says, adding that the fit is also important.

"I tried on about four or five different labels. These were a
lot more expensive than the others, but the fit was way better than
anything else, so you pay for it," he says.

Natalie Frid with some of her "50 or 60" pairs of jeans.Photo:Eddie Jim

Similarly, Natalie Frid, 32, who works in PR, is more than happy
to fork out $400 or more for a pair of jeans if they make her bum
look that little bit smaller, her legs that little bit longer and
leaner, and have the right logo on the back pocket.

Last month, she paid more than $350 for a pair of Joe's jeans, a
premium LA denim label, from savvy Melbourne boutique Cyberia. A
few weeks prior, she had handed over close to $400 for a pair of
Rare jeans from Italy, and $US250 ($330) for a pair of True
Religion jeans, favoured by celebrities including Cameron Diaz and
Justin Timberlake, from online store http://www.shopbop.com. Frid
admits to owning "50 or 60" pairs of jeans, including other premium
brands such as Paper Denim Cloth and Seven For All Mankind, which
come with $300-$400 price tags.

Frid, of St Kilda, is aware people may label her loopy given her
expensive obsession with jeans.

"People probably think I'm crazy paying that much for jeans, but
I wear jeans seven days and seven nights a week to work and then at
night, whether it be to a gallery opening, a concert or dinner,"
says Frid. "And let me tell you, these jeans are incredible."

Frid also admits that owning the most sought-after designer
denim earns prestige in certain circles.

"It's like people look at the denim you're wearing and say: 'Are
they Seven's or Joe's?' They're checking out which designer jean
you've got on and if you say they're Lees, they're like, 'Oh
those', like they're a tracksuit or something. It's absurd, but
that's the mentality," she says.

Frid, who has a whole cupboard just for her jeans, says they are
now the most expensive items in her wardrobe.

"It's bizarre - jeans were originally created for the worker but
now they are a high-fashion item," she says. "They are definitely
the most expensive items I own."

Katy Borszcz, from Nudie jeans, a Swedish label whose jeans cost
up to $665, says more people now wear jeans to work.

"Then they wear them out at night and again on the weekends. So
a $300 or $400 pair of jeans becomes a better investment than a
$200 top that you might only wear twice, or an expensive blazer
that looks daggy after one season."

Premium brands including American label Diesel, whose jeans cost
up to $540, and Nudie, justify their high prices by the quality of
the denim and the amount of labour that goes into them, as well as
the added expense of importing.

"We use the best denims in the world and the treatment process
for some of our jeans can take up to six months once they are
treated, washed, hand-abraded, treated again and again, sometimes
up to five times," says Diesel's national retail manager, Amanda
Willoughby.

As for Nudie, Borszcz says they use "premium denim" from Italian
and Japanese mills.

"That comes at a price, and then once you pay stamp duty, plus
GST and shipping on top of that, it makes them even more expensive
in Australia," she says.

Christou says the high prices have led to jeans stores becoming
a prime target for thieves. He has been robbed twice in Sydney and
once in Melbourne already this year.

Fat stores in Sydney and Melbourne, who sell local labels Sass
& Bide and Tsubi, have also had hundreds of pairs of jeans
stolen in recent months, and Nudie's Manly store was burgled just
two weeks ago.

"People are aware of the prices they can get for designer denim
these days, so they take them down to the pub or the markets or
wherever and fetch a good price for them," he says.

Christou says rip-offs are also rife within the industry.

"You've got other brands knocking off your designs, and that
waters down the marketplace." Christou has threatened legal action
against several brands for copying his designs.

Nudie and Diesel have also been fighting an ongoing battle with
copycats.

"We've had a couple of our designs ripped off. It's frustrating,
but there's not a lot you can do. But they're never the same as the
real thing - the quality is just not there," says Borszcz.

Melbourne's most expensive jeansImportsEvisu: up to $750
Nudie Jeans: up to $665
Earl: up to $600
Rogan Jeans: up to $565
Diesel: up to $550
Habitual: up to $475
Yanuk: up to $450
Paper, Denim Cloth: up to $410
Citizens of Humanity: up to $400
Rare: up to $400

Home-grownTsubi: up to $400
Roy: up to $320
Sass & Bide: up to $250
Bettina Liano: up to $225